According to court records, between October and December 2022, Matthew Podlaski, 40, searched the internet for, and downloaded images of, the sexual abuse of young children, storing the images on multiple devices. Investigators seized 14 devices belonging to Podlaski, including laptop computers, flash drives and external storage devices.
BANGOR, Maine: An Old Town man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to possessing child [censored]ography involving a child under 12.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Podlaski faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000, followed by five years to life of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child [censored]ography: Child sexual abuse material – in legal terms, “child [censored]ography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are shared or viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
###